Wednesday, February 11, 2026 - Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has
said she harbors no regrets over her removal from office, insisting that Bola
Tinubu could not have deliberately acted to hurt her.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm on
Tuesday, February 10, Kennedy-Ohanenye reflected on her tenure, leadership
style and the circumstances surrounding her dismissal during a cabinet
reshuffle.
“I have no regrets to date. If I could go back in time, I
think I didn’t do enough; I should have been harder. It is even difficult to
rule Nigerians.
“The president is working, the governors are working, but
what are Nigerians doing in between? If you want to work in this country, you
must go offline and be very firm. If you don’t, you will end up achieving
nothing,” she said. She maintained that during her time in office she ensured
proper conduct within her ministry.
“The particular office I was given, I did not allow anything
anyhow to happen there,” she said. Responding to criticism of her conduct, the
former minister defended her approach, arguing that diplomacy should not come
at the expense of principle.
“There is no way I could have held that portfolio
pretending. What you saw was who I am. I would not say I was erratic or
undiplomatic. Being diplomatic does not mean agreeing to things that are
destroying your country. I cannot agree to things I know are harmful,” she
said.
According to her, she remains at peace with her record in
office. “That is why I am looking fresher. I am out now, and whatever they are
doing there is none of my business. When I was there, I did what made me happy,
and my conscience is clear,” she added.
When asked whether she felt the President had treated her
unfairly despite her performance, Kennedy-Ohanenye said political decisions
often involve factors not visible to the public.
“In politics, many things go on behind the scenes. All I can
assure you is that the President cannot do anything purposely to hurt me. He is
proud of me, he loved the way I worked. There must have been something beyond
what he could manage at that time,” she said.
“I wouldn’t call it a mistake. There must be more than what
he could handle behind my removal. I am still on very good terms with him,” she
added.
The former minister said she is not currently seeking
another political appointment but remains committed to advocacy against
gender-based violence.
She also criticised inefficiencies within the civil service,
stating that “About 70 per cent of Nigeria’s problems come from the civil
service,” while adding that systemic weaknesses enable such challenges.
Kennedy-Ohanenye further alleged that budgets for her
ministry were approved without her input and that some allocated funds were not
released during her tenure.
“I carried out some cases with my own funds. I spent about
₦400 million of my personal money after seeing no evidence to show that the
$100 million Nigerian women project was done. I did not feel good about it,”
she said.
She claimed that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Women Affairs petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an
alleged ₦138 million fraud.
“₦138 million, is that the kind of money they steal?” she
queried, while insisting that the Federal Government still owes her
reimbursement for funds she personally expended.
Kennedy-Ohanenye was appointed Minister of Women Affairs in
August 2023 and was removed on October 23, 2024, during a cabinet reshuffle
that affected five ministers.
Her tenure was marked by several controversies, including criticism over policy proposals, disputes with international organizations and public backlash over alleged handling of sensitive social issues.
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